Stalemates, Not
by Cabba
Summary: And in the midst of these battles, there will be allies. Not enemies or acquaintances, but allies. A Pumki one shot. AU. Written for a friend about a friend. RIP Zach.


**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Harry Potter. This is profit-less fiction.**

**This story is dedicated to Zach, whose friends were like family and whose family keeps him immortal.**

**Set before Harry's sixth year. Cedric is alive.**

**Words – 2921**

**...**

Cedric was excellent at choosing people who could be trusted. Faith was a hard thing to come by, especially in the new age when anyone could be hiding their worst secrets or steadfast dedication to where they thought was the greener grass. There was his neighbour who was a secret admirer of the 'Martin The Mad Muggle' Comics, who was also the one to introduce him to Quidditch, there was Charlie Weasley, one of Cedric's idols and Nymphadora Tonks, the silliest Hufflepuff Cedric had ever known.

There was lovely Cho: she had wrapped him around her little finger like no other girl could. There was Harry, a bit of a hotshot but always aiming for the truth, standing behind friends. There were others but it was one in particular who stood out at the moment. Zach, Cedric's other idol.

Zach was in the same year as Tonks and was the first person to actually prove to Cedric that the Hogwarts houses did not matter.

Smart, sly, hilarious Zach was from Slytherin and everyone who knew him, expected him to grow up to be a professional comedian for the Quibbler.

So, it was a shock to everyone when he went in to work for the Ministry.

Cedric, who had had his heart set on being an attorney-at-law and practice in front of the Wizengamot since he was ten, was sitting in a tiny boxed up cubicle, filling out paper work on Auror training.

Zach, from the Department of Security, was juggling with stolen tension balls. Cedric threw down his quill and looked up from the registration form.

"Is this the right thing to do?" He asked the bloke who seemed to be far to engrossed in the canary yellow juggle bits.

"Eh?"

"This." Cedric waved the form above his head. Zach stopped and shrugged. "It's your idea. You, who could have anything in the world, will soon be another of Fudge's puppet. I'm proud of you."

Cedric sighed, leaning back on his chair. "I just think it's more practical to be an Auror than an attorney. You know what's happening, don't you?"

Zach stood up, stretched his arms and jerked his head, "Yeah. I know the situation. Just not sure what to believe in. This country's going bonkers, did'ya know? The Daily Prophet's absolute proof of it. Every time I subject myself to that torture, I find headlines about Fudge's new Bowler hats, Hogwarts' new Educational Decrees, a sideline for Potter Bashing and the Dish for the Day! Special. The fact that they arrested Stan Shunpike, just the other day would probably be included next month or so. You know, as a punch line to one of Malfoy's brilliant humour box."

Cedric frowned at the form he held. He didn't want to be an Auror. But with the way things were, suspected uprising of You-Know-Who was taking precedence, whether people liked it or not.

"I know how to duel. So it's best to join the Aurors." He said.

Zach chuckled, "Are you trying to convince yourself? What happened to all that talk on becoming an attorney?"

The former Hufflepuff felt the frustration leaking in. He didn't know what Zach's stance on the situation was, "Did you believe me when I told you what had happened after the third task?"

Zach's grin fell and he threw the balls into an open drawer. "Yes."

That was surprising.

"Then why are you against –"

"Because you don't really want to be a wand waving moron! Morgana's toenails, you cannot possibly this stupid. Everyone knows that You-Know-Who's out there. They're all panicking and making rash decisions about their life. Why do you think Jessie left the country?"

Cedric looked up slightly taken aback, "Wait. You broke up with her?"

Zach sat down beside him, "No. She packed her stuff and hit the air. Barely gave me a day's notice. She's been acting peculiar for weeks. I wasn't sure whether she was going to join the DeathEaters or disapparate to another continent. But there you have it! We didn't even talk about it. You might think that Auror work might help but every profession is basically vital."

He smacked his palms together to make his speech even more dramatic. "Personally, I think it's St. Mungo's that'll need more staff. "

Cedric glared. "That's not funny. You know what happened the other day."

To his credit, Zach flushed. "I didn't mean –"

"I'm going to the funeral."

The silence felt gauche as they prepared to leave the cubicle. Cedric thought about Cho and wondered if she'd be attending as well. They hadn't corresponded for a while.

"Will you be going?" He asked Zach. The latter shrugged.

"I didn't know the Potters very well."

"I can get you in."

"What?" Zach snorted. "Like a plus one? It's not a wedding, mate. Besides, what about Cho?"

"All Hogwarts students and staff are invited."

"Won't it be too crowded?"

"It's at Godric's Hollow."

They were quiet again as they crossed the floor, heading for the elevators. A couple of witches waiting along with them shifted away from Zach. Cedric tried not to glare. Things were tense as it was.

"I didn't think that place could take any more graves." Zach muttered soft enough for just Cedric's ears.

"It has to." Cedric whispered, equally quiet. "The war's already begun."

...

Cedric was thankful for Tonks. She had convinced Shacklebolt to put off paper work until the next day. The raids they had conducted where almost as useless as trying to strike up a lax conversation with someone in Diagon Alley. Times were hard and the fact that Summer was already in made everything worse. Cho had gone back to her grandparents home in China. Cedric had barely given her a proper goodbye, but it had not been easy with her parents standing right on the porch next to them.

He was glad that they had sorted out their hurdles, but she had yet to put security spells on the floo connection at her native home and they hadn't spoken for nearly two months. He just hoped that she wasn't subtly hinting that they were actually broken up.

He sat at his cubicle, staring at the plain walls and listening to the droning hum of his co-workers. Auror work wasn't all action/adventure and death defying dares. Cedric had to break the news of deaths to families three times, helped emergency response teams dig out bodies from rubble, mobilise frightened people towards safety and all this contributed to terrible heart wrenching nightmares beginning with the night from the graveyard.

Cedric hated this. He had read about wars and heard about battles from books, teachers and older relatives. No one ever really explained what it was like to be caught in the storm when anyone could be attacked in broad day light.

He felt an unexplained shiver go up his spine and automatically gripped his wand tighter. May be he should retire for the day...

There was a knock on the wall and he swung around, finding Harry Potter standing stiffly at the doorway. Harry looked worse than Cedric felt. There were bruises underneath his eyes and he looked like he was in pain. He was in his wrinkled Hogwarts white shirt, the red tie hanging loosely from the collar and smudged black pants. He twirled his wand between his fingers, looking at Cedric through the lax black locks.

"Harry!" Cedric said after the silence had continued for two extra seconds. "Um... yeah, come on in."

Harry frowned. "Don't you do security questions?"

Right.

"Oh. Well, heard from Krum and Fleur?"

"Krum's incognito and Fleur's in Gringotts. How's Cho?"

Cedric shrugged, playing along. "Not in Hogwarts, that's for sure."

Harry let out a breath like he could finally lower his guard. He stepped in the cramped space and dropped on to the stool beside Cedric.

"You look like you ran all the way from Scotland. By the way, aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Harry stretched his arms. "Was across the pond. Classes finish by three in the afternoon. Don't tell me that you've forgotten school, Ced."

The man felt his cheeks heat up. "Right. Yeah, it's almost night. But seriously." He leaned in to whisper, "Were you at that camp?"

Harry didn't say anything, but he pulled at his collar to reveal the camp necklace he had, tapping it twice. Cedric looked at the single hand-made bead that the cord was strung through. It was dark and had striations like tiny silver lines, running all over the bead in an almost hypnotic fashion.

"It's an impression of a tunnel system." Harry clarified, putting it back underneath the collar.

It didn't make sense to Cedric, but then again, when _Gods_ were involved, nothing had to.

"I thought you had strict orders to stay at Hogwarts." He reminded the student.

Harry smirked. "Yes and I'm such a good little golden boy, aren't I?"

Cedric gave a reluctant chuckle. He sat up, rubbing his face. He could feel the exhaustion from the raids they had had for the past few days. "Why are you here, Harry? What if Scrimgeour finds out?"

"I need your help." Harry said, shrugging like what he was going to ask was no big deal.

"With what?"

"I need the construction and security plans for Azkaban."

The words took a while to register in Cedric's head. When he caught up he gave a bark of laughter, "Ha! That's hilarious! Now go home."

Harry clicked his tongue. "Not without the plans."

Cedric cursed under his breath and flicked his wand at the door, putting up a mild obscuring charm to protect them from nosy eavesdroppers.

"Seriously. I mean it. I need to leave, Harry. Just because we're aware of the situation, doesn't mean that the Ministry's safe –"

"I know the Ministry isn't safe! Why d'you think I risked my life coming down here? And I put up the notice-me-not and glamour charms, so don't lecture to me about safety."

"You're literally target number 1!" Cedric hissed. He couldn't understand why Harry was behaving like this. The latter was usually careful about himself; especially since the funeral.

Harry inhaled carefully. "I've been having visions."

Cedric groaned. "Why can't you just practice Occlumency?"

"This was different! You know I can help it when it hits me! I do Occlumency before I go to bed, not every second of the day. But I can't tell you everything. I need the plans for Azkaban to confirm something, get enough proof –"

"And what?" Cedric interrupted, not pleased with his attitude. "You'll check out the prison? Chat with the dementors? Like hell."

"Cedric..." The sixteen year old trailed off, looking far too wary and tired for his age. Harry dropped his harsh frown and looked miserable.

"I haven't slept for weeks." He whispered. "I keep thinking about him and Percy and Sally and Nico because I have no clue where any of them are. But this vision could tell me where Voldemort might be. One of his hide-outs or somewhere special to him. Like a weakness. I skip food to live in the library, trying to find something and I'm stuck."

His hands shook and Cedric was caught off guard by how vulnerable he looked. Even during the Triwizard Tournament, Harry had been upright and unbreakable but it was the opposite now.

"I just need to look over the details." Harry continued with feeling. "It's not going to take more than ten minutes. If you can sneak me into whatever department it's in... that'll be enough. Cedric, I really need you on this. I'm getting desperate on the whole goddamn thing."

Cedric tried not to reach over and pat his shoulder. _Stay strong... stay strong_.

"Why Azkaban?" He relented.

Harry's eyes perked up. He looked alive. "The last time the building was inspected and updated was in 1874."

"So?"

"It's been more than a hundred years. I know grounded wards can last for centuries but what if it's been moved?"

Cedric blinked. "That... makes no sense."

Harry huffed. "The water! Azkaban's literally in the sea. Water erodes. A century ago, it wasn't in the sea. The water level rose up through the decades, there would have been an imbalance in the magic distribution because... come on! It's the _bloody ocean_!"

Cedric could honestly say that he'd never heard of water being used to break down magical defences. There were potent potions but water?

"Tamara Wittle cast the original Earth bound ward. She was the Elemental with an Earth Core. Her magic would stay strong only if the ward was still attached to the ground. But the sea rose up and now every other minute there are at least ten waves, each strong enough to sink ships bigger than the Titanic. Tell me I'm wrong."

"I guess... it could make sense... are you implying that the security around Azkaban is failing?!"

Harry gave him a sympathetic look. Cedric received it as a simply pathetic look. "Azkaban's wards have been falling since 1917. That's when they hired the dementors."

Cedric sat up, realising the gravity of the situation. He could see Harry's point. Sort of.

"And how's that related to Voldemort?"

"He could have figured out the same thing I just told you. Except he would've realised that years ago."

"Were you planning to tell anyone about this?"

Harry glared at him. "Of course! But I need proof or else people'll call me a nutter and I can't stand that again! I need to see the blueprints."

...

Zach gave them a surly look. "Oh sure. And while we're in the guarded office stealing the plans, I'll order us some dragon balls to cap off the lovely evening. Bullocks to you!"

He pointed at Harry who shot back his own glare. "And you. I don't give a damn for you, Harry Potter. Sell your crap elsewhere."

He turned to march of the floo stations. Before Cedric could call out, Harry caught Zach's arm and yanked him back into his room. He pointed his wand in Zach's face and said, "It's not a request."

Zach went cross-eyed trying to keep Harry's wand in view. "Whatever. I'm not doing anything for you."

"Do it for Cedric."

"I wouldn't do this for my mother, so go cry in a corner."

"How about I make you cry?"

"This is getting out of hand." Cedric interrupted them, pulling them away from the face off. Harry still kept his wand trained.

"You're not going along with this?!" Zach asked, wide eyed.

Cedric tried not to sigh. "It's really important. And we're not going to use this to break someone out, it's just to check something, right Harry?"

Harry nodded carefully, not blinking.

Zach frowned. "I don't know why you would need them. They're a little outdated. Plus, they're probably in the backrooms of the office and I doubt you can even pass through the main halls to go there."

"We can't. But you can."

"And why would I?"

"Whose side are you on?" Harry said, raising his voice. Cedric noticed his irritation.

"Wait, wait. Zach, you know this is important. And if those maps are really outdated, people probably wouldn't care. And Harry's just going to take ten minutes. His memory's good."

"That's ten minutes too long." Zach muttered.

"How about you go in, take a look at them, every corner, facet, hallway, cell and room and give me the evidence?"

Zach and Cedric stared at Harry.

"You want me to give you a memory of me reading through those plans? Forget it."

Harry smiled. A genuine one which made his dimples look prominent. He dug in his pocket and took out a very strange looking object. It was black and rectangular with a shiny surface on one side through which he could almost see his reflection. The thing was just a little smaller than Harry's palm. It looked like something Cedric had learnt about in Muggle Studies.

"Is that... a ... telephone?" Cedric asked, hesitantly.

"Wireless. Muggles call it Mobile Phone. And it had a camera in it."

Zach's interest peaked. "You're giving me that?"

"To take photos. Oh and it's password protected and trackable so you can't run away with it."

Zach frowned. Cedric could see the gears turning in his head. Unlike most wizards who had grown up in their world, Zach had a subtle fascination with Muggle Evolution and Thinking Styles. A mobile phone would be right up his alley.

Harry showed them how to work the phone, how it ran on magic and how it was just a prototype for the viable combination of magic and muggle technology. Cedric had known that Harry had been experimenting with that. Several times, he had seen the boy with burn marks on his hands and arms, but that could have also been the result of an explosive encounter with the youngest Weasely.

...

After Harry left, Zach said. "Does he really think that You-Know-Who is holed up in Azkaban?"

Cedric shrugged, thinking about his comfortable bed back in his apartment. The excitement had died down for the night. Harry had promised to call back if anything popped and that had been good enough for Cedric. "He's probably just covering all his bases."

"He's a smart arse. But tolerable. And, it would be poetic if You-Know-Who turns out to be in Azkaban right now, having meetings with his Deatheaters, prisoners and dementors. Everyone wants him in there and nobody knows that he is."

...


End file.
